Colin Kaepernick used a stop on his book tour to revisit one of the most public flashpoints of his career, and he didn’t soften his stance when Jerry Jones came up.
The former NFL quarterback, 38, took aim at the Dallas Cowboys owner while discussing the reaction to his national anthem protest and the owners who opposed it. Kaepernick last played in the NFL in 2016, the same year he began kneeling during the anthem. He spent his career with the 49ers from 2011-16 and did not receive a contract after that season.
During that year, several NFL players joined him by taking a knee to protest police brutality and racial injustices. Jones was among the owners who pushed back hard. He called the protests “disappointing” and praised his Cowboys players for not taking part.
Kaepernick was asked about Jones and the other owners who didn’t support him as he promoted his memoir, “A Perilous Fight,” which was released on September 15. His response was direct.
“It’s the same thing that I’ve said in the past, which is, why are you so comfortable working against black folks trying to live?”
He continued: “I mean, for me, people that worked, and I think this was one of the unique insights that I got in this process. People revealed who they were.
And just stepping back for a moment. We were fighting specifically against police killing black folks.”
Kaepernick said it still amazes him that anyone would oppose what he was protesting. “It’s amazing to me that there’s anybody that’s like, ‘I’m against that.’
And I think the people who came out and fought against it revealed who they were revealed their intentions. And my question would be, why are you so comfortable with it?
And the question for us, collectively. Why are we supporting it?”
Jones was equally clear when the protests were unfolding. He said the demonstrations were damaging to the league and tied the issue to the NFL’s overall strength.
“There is no question the league is suffering negative effects from these protests. Our ability to be substantive is based on having a strong NFL, a league that people are really interested in and want to watch and want to watch the games,” he said.
“At all times, if I am anything, I am first and foremost a proponent of making the NFL strong. Making us have as many people watching the game as we can and watching in light of what we are doing and that’s playing football.
If all this makes you stronger to represent messages, let’s don’t do it in a way that tears down the strength of the NFL.”
The Cowboys enter Thursday Night Football against the Bucs at 2-2.
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